Millard parents, educators remain hopeful for new school year

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - As summer winds down, parents and children are gearing up for a new school year.

Millard is the first major school district in the Omaha metro area to go back, starting Aug. 10. Many parents are hopeful this year will be better than the last two.

Gretchen Jones and her daughter are enjoying the last playful days of summer, but the upcoming school year is not far from their minds.

“We just got school supplies today, so we are really excited for school again,” Jones said

With COVID-19 and the national teacher shortage, the past couple of years have been rough for educators.

In Millard, roughly 160 teachers and administrators either resigned or retired at the end of the last school year, out of about 3,000 overall.

A spokesperson for the district says seven teaching positions are currently open for the fall.

Millard parent Molly Warren is not too concerned.

“We’ve gotten through it and we’ve always come out on the other side and I don’t doubt that that will be the case with the upcoming school year,” Warren said. “I think we just have to navigate it as we go. It’s just one of those things.’

Paul Schulte with the Millard Education Association agrees.

“We’re just excited to see hopefully closer to normal, as we move into this year,” Schulte said.

The district is prepared for one big change: a new superintendent. Dr. John Schwartz will replace Dr. Jim Sutfin who retired after 33 years as an educator.

“We’re excited to see Dr. Schwartz come on and bring new ideas to the new district,” Schulte said.

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Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the incoming MPS superintendent. 6 News regrets the error.

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